8 Tips To Ground Yourself
For the
longest time I didn’t know what it actually meant to be grounded. I didn’t
understand the concept. So much so, that when I was finally able to put it into
words, I wrote a blog post about it here
There are
a lot of ways to know if you’re grounded (or not) and truly, it’d different for
everybody. It can range from feeling dizzy or like your head is in the clouds,
to feeling like you can’t stop moving long enough to even take a breath, to
feeling like a puppy trying to grab on to any new “shiny object” and
lacking focus.
One thing
I have found to be helpful in keeping me to feel grounded is to have a daily
ritual, and to give myself a little extra time with it if I’m feeling extra
ungrounded.
When I
first started reading blogs and watching Youtube videos, I fell into a trap of
“this is what’s worked for them, so I have to do it to!”. Please
don’t. It’s really not the case.
It’s easy
to think that just because something worked for someone else that it will
absolutely work for you. But since feeling ungrounded can feel different for
everybody, grounded exercises can differ too. Oprah might think it’s the best
thing since sliced bread, but if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work. That
doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong, it doesn’t mean it’s not meant to
be, it just means you need to keep trying until you find what feels right for
you.
Please
don’t get discouraged if some of the suggestions on this list don’t work for
you. Keep reading for Daily Ritual suggestions to keep your feeling grounded
and centered, and be sure to read right to the very end to discover which ones
are my personal favourites!
- Spend time
outside – Touch the earth in some way. The bottoms of your feet, the palms
of your hands, or laying down outside if that’s your thing
- The Ocean (or any body of
water) – If you’re lucky enough to live close to a body of water, well…
first of all, I’m jealous and second of all, it’s an amazing opportunity
to easily ground yourself on the regular. Whether it’s putting your feet
in the water, walking along the shore or just sitting nearby and taking it
all in. Water has this uncanny ability to ground us to this earth and put
things into perspective at the same time.
- Movement – This can be
whatever you want it to be. A walk outside, a run on the treadmill or a
nice calm yoga class. Getting the body moving not only gets our blood
circulating again, but realign our energy at the same time.
- Deep breathing – You don’t
have to close your eyes to start taking deep breaths (although I highly
recommend it!). Sometimes one nice deep belly breath is enough, and
sometimes you need way more. Trust yourself and your body. Take the time
to find breathing exercises that work for you. I know some people who
swear by counting to 8, holding it, then exhaling for 8. Then there are
others (like me) who prefer to try and clear my mind (counting included)
and just breathe in whatever way my body feels like it needs to. At the
end of the day, all belly breathing works, you can’t really go wrong!
- 5-4-3-2-1 Method – Count
backwards starting at 5 and for each number use your senses to identify
things you notice. For example five things you hear, four things you see,
three things you can touch, two things you smell, one thing you taste.
- Recite something – Like a
mantra or affirmation. Find a phrase (or create your own!) that makes you
feel grounded and centered and every time you start to feel out of sorts,
just repeat it to yourself in your head or out loud. Repeat it as many
times as you like and as many times throughout the day as you need to. An
example for a mantra could be: I am a strong independent woman. I am
grounded and protected. Everything is just fine. I got this.
- Visualize your happy place –
We all have one, whether it’s real or imaginary, and if you’ve never
thought about it then there’s no time like the present! When you start to
feel overwhelmed or having a difficult time grounding, think about your
favourite place. Where is it? What does it feel like to be there? Are
there any smells? What are you doing there – maybe you’re walking along
the beach or sitting next to the campfire? Think about your favourite
place and how calming it is to be there. If you’re indecisive like me,
it’s totally okay to change up your favourite place once in a while.
- Listen to music – some people
live for the sound of music. Notice what kind of music you’re listening to
and how you feel as you listen to it. Try to find something that makes you
feel upbeat and grounded. And hey, if you want to dance at the same time, go
for it!
